Qualitative psychological research

Qualitative psychological research is when scientists study people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors by talking to them and listening to their stories. It is like when your teacher asks you how you feel about going to school and why you feel that way, and then she writes down what you say.

The scientists who do qualitative research might ask people questions or ask them to tell stories about their experiences, and then they try to find patterns or themes in what people say. It is like when you and your friends tell each other stories about what happened during recess, and you notice that you all have different favorite games.

Qualitative research is different from quantitative research, which is when scientists use numbers to study things. For example, if a teacher wanted to know how many kids in the class liked going to recess, she might ask everyone to raise their hand and count them. But if the teacher wanted to know why some kids liked recess more than others, she would need to ask them to explain their feelings and thoughts, which is what qualitative research does.

So, qualitative psychological research is when scientists study people's experiences and feelings through talking and listening to them, rather than just counting numbers.